VAL PENNY

Authors generally fall into one of two categories, those who plot or those who don't. When I first started my writing career, I admit...

We learn early on in our writing journey that every story must have a beginning a middle and an end. We are also taught that our main...

The start of a new year is always exciting with the opportunity to look forward rather than back. This year my publishers, SpellBound...

Today it is a delight to welcome my friend and fellow author Sharon Cook to the blog to explain her compulsion to write. Sharon's debut...

One of the things I like best about Christmas is that my elder daughter and I often swap books that we have read and enjoyed during the...

It is my great pleasure to welcome my friend and fellow author Martin J Lake to the blog today. Martin's debut novel, Beyond The Stones:...

It was a thrill to produce my first collection of short stories in time for Christmas. It includes stores about DI Hunter Wilson and his...

It was a thrill to produce my first collection of short stories in time for Christmas. If I do say so myself, it makes an ideal and cost...

Most of us use social media to a greater or lesser extent to promote our work and we all know that some posts work better than others....

Authors vary a great deal in how they prepare to write their books. Some plot carefully using rolls of wallpaper to display their story...

I am thrilled to introduce my readers to my friend and fellow author Alex J. Adams whom I met when I attended Books on the Beach run by...

The first novel in my Jane Renwick Thrillers series of novels is The First Cut . The second in the series, A Fighting Chance, will be...

In contemporary literary studies, a theme is a central topic, subject, or message within a narrative. Themes can be divided into two...

A gripping plot can only carry an interesting story if it is carried by convincing characters. When I an creating a new character I start...

I suppose I should start this article with a disclaimer because, in reality it is mis-titled. Swanwick is a little village in Derbyshire...

Hunter’s Rules will launch at The Harrogate Crime Festival! Join me and SpellBound Books at 1pm Friday 19th July at the Alexandra in...

I have been writing and telling stories all my life. When I was a child, I used to make up stories for my little sister after our Mum put...

Do you remember when you first started writing? I don't mean writing stories, but when you were first taught to hold a pencil and write...

If you ask a reader why they chose to buy a certain book you will get a variety of responses. Perhaps it was written by an author whose...

You still have until the end of February to craft and entry the SpellBound/Penny Prize. This competition closes on 29, February 2024 and...